


Knife Work

by SecurityBreach



Series: The Coldest Realm [1]
Category: MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Norse Religion & Lore, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Asgardians, Amnesia, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, Loki Angst, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki fighting, Loki's knives, Norse Bro Feels, Pre-Thor (2011), Teen Loki, Temporary Amnesia, Thor's friends are dicks, Threats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 16:21:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8379154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecurityBreach/pseuds/SecurityBreach
Summary: A teenage Loki has a very unpleasant encounter after foraging for mushrooms in Idunn's forest.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this post on tumblr: http://dailyau.tumblr.com/post/152175765365/i-got-in-a-fight-and-you-took-me-to-the-er-but
> 
> “I got in a fight and you took me to the ER but you should see the other guy” AU
> 
> No copyright infringement intended.

When Loki, the God of Mischief and Lies, wakes up in one of the healers’ chambers at the royal palace of Asgard, he thinks that his head is about to explode. He tries to lie still for a few moments more while recalling the events that have brought him here.

He seems to remember pulling a fight with a total stranger for making an insulting remark on his brother Thor.

Somehow, this feels unlikely.

There is a bandage around Loki's forehead, and some kind of balm has been applied to his right temple.

_What in the Norn's names has happened?_

Naturally, either his older brother Thor or his brother's terrible friends must have been involved with causing the trouble. Loki thinks that he knows this for sure. For some reason best known to themselves, Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg, whom Loki secretly calls the Idiots Four, have made it their business to be the bane of his life.

Loki opens his green eyes carefully to take a look at his environment. Healers’ chambers, definitely. Loki relaxes. The wholesome fragrance of healing herbs and potions had already told him so, but it is always better to make sure. The light is nicely dimmed so it won't hurt the patient's sensitive eyes.

And there he is. Thor. Loki's golden-haired brother, the God of Thunder. Sitting on a chair, slightly slumped over.

 _He's taking a nap,_ Loki thinks almost tenderly. He has always admired his big brother's ability of resting anywhere when the opportunity arises. Thor is also able to accept any fare that is offered to him happily and enjoy the food no matter how coarse it is.

_That's probably why he is going to be known as a great warrior and I'm not._

Loki, who has had a sensitive stomach all his life, hates camping out, and prefers the vantages of enclosed walls. The idea of a fully-fledged campaign is more than a bit of a horror to him. Besides, Loki has never been capable of seeing the _point_ of war when a battle of words is so much more enticing. Left to his own devices, he would always choose diplomacy over an actual passage of arms.

 _A wise king,_ Loki remembers his father saying, _never seeks out war. But he must always be ready for it._

Thor, on the other hand, is thoroughly able to rely on the strength of his friends and shield siblings alone. They are happy to take turns with their watches, and feel that nothing could be safer than sleeping in a tent or under the stars as long as they have each other.

Loki has never been able to build up that amount of trust.

Especially not with Thor's friends.

 _So, how did I end up here?_ Loki thinks. _And when?_

He has no idea what day it is, and how much time has passed since he got into that fight because someone dared to insult Thor.

_Let's see what I can remember._

_Idunn's forest,_ Loki thinks. _Yes, that's a definite yes. I needed some mushrooms that grow there, and I went foraging. Idunn doesn't like it, but she never gets mad. A mild scolding whenever she catches me, certainly, but I can live with that. She even drops hints about the best places to go sometimes._

Not for the first time it occurs to Loki that the Goddess of Spring and Youth is only waiting to be asked for permission. But no. That would be lame.

Despite his tender years, and he is still in his early teens by Midgardian standards, Loki has seen a remarkable number of gods getting mad at him. He is already a bit of a specialist in this respect. Idunn is terribly nice in comparison, and never forgets to slip him some apple chip cookies after she has finished her rant of the day.

And at that moment, everything comes back to him.

***************

 

About 20 hours ago, Loki was just leaving Idunn's forest feeling very happy indeed. His flat, old-fashioned woodchip basket was well filled. Also, he hadn't been caught at trespassing. Loki had been able to collect more than a dozen rare mushrooms, and now they were sitting in the young god's basket, each and everyone carefully wrapped in a nest of soft hay to protect them from damage.

 

There were fungi of several species, and it was important not to let them touch. Some of them were highly poisonous, and it was good that Loki, a young, but keen and gifted scholar in the magic arts, already knew how to handle them the right way.

 

He needed those mushrooms for potion making, and he was completely aware that all kinds of disaster could happen if he messed his ingredients up.

 

Loki thought on the preparation area in his chambers at the palace. He had thoroughly cleaned his worktop earlier that day. His knives had been prepared, and there was a good supply of enchanted yarn waiting so Loki could string the mushrooms for drying.

 

Only then they would be ready for use.

 

 

“Greetings, Odinson,” an all too familiar voice said suddenly.

 

 _Oh no,_ Loki thought, trying not to look Volstagg in the eye. _Not them. The Idiots Four and some other guy._

 

The other guy was as tall and muscular as Thor, and he looked twice as mean as Volstagg. He seemed to be much more ponderous in his movements than the god of thunder who was quick and agile despite his impressive build. The stranger looked happy to be hanging out with Thor's cronies and sported an overbearing manner that Loki didn't like at all.

 

The young boy instinctively put a protective hand over his precious harvest.

 

“Greetings,” Loki said a little stiffly.

 

“Pilfering from Idunn again?” Fandral asked. “I wonder what the queen is going to say when she hears about this.”

 

By then Loki knew that his pickings were lost.

 

He had never been able to understand the motivation of those four. Thor had met them during weapons instructions with Tyr, the God of War himself. But ever since they had become friendly with Thor and were granted the privilege to enter his private chambers without a formal invitation, they had started to behave towards the younger prince as if he had no right to be there at all.

 

Still, they had to be very good at fighting and very brave besides to be invited for classes with Tyr. Loki could see the importance of that.

 

Just like Thor, they were a couple of years older than Loki, who barely reached up to Volstagg's shoulder. Volstagg was the oldest of the group. He was a married man, already on the corpulent side, with his first born in the craddle. _They must have a very broad definition of bravery at the training area,_ Loki thought not for the first time. _There are five of them, and I am alone._

 

“ _Thor's friends are jealous of you, Loki,”_ his mother, Queen Frigga of Asgard, had told him so often before. _“You were born to something they crave to have. You're a prince, and a god. Thor loves you. I love you. Don't let them bully you.”_

 

 _Five to one,_ Loki thought again, even more bitterly this time, _and if I use magic to shut them up, everybody's going to blame me for it afterwards._

 

So he prepared to set his main weapon, his _Seiðr,_ aside and waited for what his brother's friends had in store for him this time.

 

“They must truly love you in the kitchen,” Fandral said in a mocking voice. “Are you going to make some soup for us today?”

 

Hogun tried to reach out for Loki's basket, but the prince managed to step back in time.

 

 _“Leave me,”_ Loki hissed. As much as he disliked Thor's friends, he wouldn't like to take the blame for an accidental poisoning.

 

“Soup too, eh?” Volstagg said. “So tell me, little Son of Odin, what other delicacies do we have to thank you for?”

 

“Oh, everybody knows he's the _spit boy_ around here,” Sif answered in Loki's stead. “He's spending his time turning the iron spits over the fireplace in the kitchen to make our roasts.”

 

Loki closed his eyes. _Have patience,_ he heard his mother's voice say. _Sif is trying so hard to be accepted as a warrior. It is beyond her to understand how you could possibly choose wielding Seiðr over wielding iron._

 

“Now this truly puts me off my roast,” Vollstagg said, and everybody laughed. They all knew that it would take at least a bucket full of bildgesnipe piss on his plate to make Volstagg stop eating.

 

Loki felt his anger rising, but he was still resolved to try and get out of this situation without a fight.

 

And then the fifth guy, the one Loki had never met before, made a mistake.

 

“So this is Thor's baby brother?” He said, looking at Loki as if he was something the cat brought in.

 

The prince set his basket down carefully.

 

“And who would you be?” Loki asked haughtily, his back straight and his chin tilted upwards.

 

It sounded less impressive than the young god had hoped for, because he was still in the middle of his voice change.

 

“I'm Sveinn, son of Gunnar,” the other said. Those were the most common names on Asgard.

 

“Never heard.”

 

Loki noticed how the Idiots Four backed off slightly. They knew very well that Loki was still too young to be challenged for a fight in a formal manner. And no matter how deep the conflict between Loki and his older brother's friends was rooted, it was an unwritten rule to leave Thor out of it.

 

Sveinn laughed. “That's only because you're crawling around the woods like a peasant while carrying a basket like an old woman.”

 

“And what business is that of yours?”

 

Another laugh. “I'm just a humble, concerned citizen of Asgard, _boy ergi.”_

 

Loki gasped at hearing the hateful and vulgar name for a male magic wielder.

 

 _“Right,”_ Fandral said. “That's it. Come on Sveinn, we're leaving.”

 

“Why?” Sveinn asked while checking out Loki's slender frame, his boyish, pale face and long dark curls. “Now that I have seen this abomination I'm wondering if our __golden prince_ is tainted too.” _

 

“We're leaving _now_ ,” Fandral told him again. The Idiots Four turned around and left.

 

Sveinn stayed on, still glaring at Loki. He waited till Thor's friends were out of hearing. Then he took a step closer towards Thor's younger brother.

 

 _“So pretty,”_ Sveinn said while touching Loki's hair. “I'm sure Thor must be very jealous of you. But then, there's nothing sweeter than forbidden fruit.”

 

With this, he tried to pull Loki closer, and Loki just _lost_ it.

 

Loki tried to recall this moment many times during his long life, and he was never able to find out for sure what had been the final straw. The verbal abuse had been bad enough, and the actual touching was even worse. He was a prince who worked hard to gain some respect while even the palace servants felt free to laugh at him. And now his brother's friends had left him alone in a forest with this predator.

 

The young prince knew exactly what Sveinn was talking about. He had listened to a lot of lewd talk in his father's halls when the mead was flowing generously and the ale kegs were open to all. Loki was sure that the Idiots Four knew it too.

 

 _These are the same people I have witnessed swearing fealty to my father only a solstice ago,_ Loki thought. It was a lesson he would never forget.

 

Years of bottled up anger came to the surface and he felt like crying out loud to the Norns for help.

 

What he did yell was something completely different.

 

“Don't you _dare_ to talk about my brother like this,” the boy shouted at the top of his cracking voice. And suddenly Loki held his foraging knife in his hand.

 

He leapt forward and slashed at Sveinn's face. Loki was still a novice at armed combat, but he believed in the element of surprise and had a lot of determination. He was also lithe and quick while his opponent was heavy and slow. Before Sveinn knew what was going on, Loki had successfully disabled his rigth hand.

 

Loki managed to do a lot of damage before Sveinn grabbed a stone with his left hand and smashed it at Loki's temple. Then there was a flash of light and Loki lost his consciousness.

 

***************

 

“Brother,” Thor says softly, finally waking from his slumber.

 

Loki blinks. “Am I in trouble?”

 

Thor chuckles. “Quite the contrary, brother. It seems I have to thank you for defending my honour.”

 

“ _What?”_ Loki sighs. “Brother, stop mocking me.”

 

“I'm not mocking you. Idunn has told us all.”

 

“Oh no. So she knew I was trespassing on her grounds all the time?”

 

Thor chuckles again. “She always knows, silly. As soon as she realised what was going on, she alarmed me. I fetched Mjolnir and went for you. Then I carried you to the healer's room for an emergency treatment. It was a close call, brother.”

 

“I feel lousy,” Loki confesses.

 

“You certainly do look very ill, brother,” Thor says sadly. There are bruises all over Loki's face.

 

“You should see the other guy,” Loki tries to quip.

 

“Sveinn tried to run, the coward,” Thor says while smiling indulgently. “Left you on the ground with a _head injury_. But you are right, that was some deft knife work on your part."

Thor touches his younger brother's hand in an affectionate gesture.

  
Then the god of thunder clears his throat and continues his tale. "Meanwhile, Idunn stormed into the Golden Hall to ask father what he thinks he was doing.”

 

“Doing what?”

 

“Running his family like this.”

 

“Ah.” Loki's forehead is starting to throb again.

 

“Well, Aunt Freya and Uncle Frey were present, and you know how _prickly_ they feel about the family's honour.”

 

“They would, wouldn' they?” Loki says, wondering what revelations were waiting for him next.

 

“So they decided to set an example and went after Sveinn Gunnarsson.”

 

“Oh dear. Is he dead?”

 

“Not yet. But father has challenged him for a _holmgang_.”

 

"Oh." Loki leans back into his pillows in respectful silence. A _holmgang_ is a highly ritualised duel that _has_ to end with the death of one of the opponents. Neither Thor nor Loki doubt that it is Sveinn who is going to pay the price.

 

“When will it take place?”

 

“The day after tomorrow.”

 

“That's early.”

 

“True, brother. But the Son of Gunnar is sitting safely in a cell in the dungeons now, and his wounds have been tended to. His family has been informed so they can arrive in time.”

 

“Still, it seems a bit harsh.”

 

“Loki, the _things_ he said to you.”

 

“I've heard worse.”

 

There is an awkward silence.

 

“What's this?” Loki asks to relieve the tension and points at a clay pot that is sitting on his bedside table.

 

“Cookies,” Thor says grinning. “From Idunn. She's expecting a visit from you when you're feeling better.”

 

Loki groans. “Oh, brother...”

 

“Loki, how are you? Would you like me to call a healer?”

 

“Not yet, brother. Just stay a little longer, please,” Loki says. He knows only too well from experience how easily Thor is bored. "Yes?"

 

“Yes," Thor agrees indulgently when he notices the questioning look his younger brother is giving him. "And here is something else I'd like to show you.”

Thor lifts up a small parcel and opens it for Loki to see.

 

Loki's eyes widen in surprise. It's a beautiful set of daggers and throwing knives.

 

“You need to buy them off me, of course,” Thor says.

 

Loki nods his approval. It's an old custom to never give away knives as a gift because otherwise, their blades would cut the friendship in halves.

 

“Where do they come from?”

 

“Tyr gave them to me in exchange for a small coin,” Thor says. “He says he is looking forward to teach you how to use them.”

 

“Is he, now?” Loki asks weakly.

 

“Nimble fingers, impressive reflexes, steady hands, a good eye, determination...” Thor shrugs, but there is a hint of respect in his voice. “It seems you have finally found your weapon, brother.”

 

Instead of giving his brother an answer, Loki takes a look at his foraging knife. It's sitting next to Idunn's cookie jar. Someone has carefully cleaned all the blood off it. It was most probably Thor, who is well known for taking great care of his weapons and keeping them in good repair.

 

The foraging knife is not made for fighting, but it is a beautiful tool in its own rights. The curved blade is always honed nicely, the tip is pointy and Loki is keeping the wooden hilt well polished.

 

Then Loki becomes aware of something else that has been placed in the healing room.

 

It's a bloody fruit basket.

 

And Loki, who is very perceptive, has a good idea who sent it.

 

Thor has followed his brother's glance towards the offending object.

 

“It's from Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg,” Thor says.

 

“I don't want it,” Loki tells him.

 

“Brother, father is threatening to send them into exile for a whole year.”

 

 _Good,_ Loki thinks. _That would give me a whole year of fighting practise with Tyr before they are able to step in and ruin it for me._

 

“Brother, please.” Thor is very unhappy at the prospect of losing his friends for a while. "You could have a word with father about them."

 

“They should never have left me alone with this Sveinn, and you know that full well, brother," Loki says firmly. "A man is going to die because your friends forgot about the oaths they have taken. They swore to serve and protect this realm and it's denizens. That includes me too, whether they like it or not. Sveinn was wrong in what he was doing and he deserves to be taught a lesson, yes. But death? I don't think so. Your friends ought to have stopped him in time.”

 

Despite the pleading look in Thor's eyes, Loki remains adamant.

 

“It's a _damn good_ fruit basket,” Thor murmurs in defeat.

 

Loki smiles at his brother. “Give it to your goats,” he says.

 

Suddenly they hear the sound of footsteps approaching from the corridor in front of the healing chamber, and the younger prince looks worried again. _I know how this goes,_ he thinks, frowning deeply. _Sooner or later someone is going to blame me for this._ Loki feels pretty sure that this time, it is going to be Sveinn's family.

 

“You're not in trouble, brother,” Thor tells him, placing a reassuring hand on his sibling's neck.

 

Now the princes are smiling at each other. For a fleeting moment they feel that life is good, and both of them know that it's a moment they are going to cherish till the end of their lifes.


End file.
